Wake up in Paris and head to class through winding streets filled with cafés, boulangeries, and historic architecture—your surroundings as immersive as your coursework. This intensive language program at the Institut Catholique de Paris (la Catho) is designed to build your French skills quickly, whether you're a true beginner or an advanced speaker. All courses are taught in French by faculty at the university's renowned Institut de Langue et de Culture Française (ILCF) and focus on key elements of language learning, including written and verbal expression, comprehension, grammar, and phonetics. You'll be placed in the appropriate level through a language placement exam administered by the Institut Catholique de Paris, and can typically progress one full language level over the course of the intensive month.

Located in the heart of Paris's 6th arrondissement near the Latin Quarter and the Jardin du Luxembourg, la Catho offers a serene academic setting with ivy-covered buildings and tranquil courtyards just steps from bustling boulevards and iconic cafés. You'll learn alongside students from around the world, connect with a local French student through ICP's Tandem buddy program, and get involved in campus life through the Club International des Jeunes à Paris, which organizes cultural activities, guided outings, and social events to help you experience French culture firsthand.

Beyond the classroom, you'll have access to curated cultural excursions such as museum hopping at world-class institutions like the Louvre, Orsay, or Pompidou; tea at the Grande Mosquée de Paris; an opera night at one of Paris's iconic opera houses; and hands-on French cooking classes led by a local chef. These activities are designed to deepen your cultural immersion and complement what you're learning in the classroom. An in-depth orientation upon arrival will help you navigate the city, academic culture, and your new home.

This program works well as a stand-alone experience or as a precursor to a semester or year-long study abroad experience in Paris—if you select both the intensive month and a semester-long program in the WorldStrides online application, you'll receive a discount. Housing options include off-campus apartments, homestays with a host family, or independent housing, and all assignments are made through a housing questionnaire completed after acceptance. Your program fee covers tuition, an official transcript, housing and internet, cultural activities and excursions, airport reception, in-country orientation, international insurance, 24/7 emergency assistance, mental health support, and career resources.

You'll be supported throughout your stay by an experienced on-site team, including Resident Directors and student services staff, available by email, phone, or through the WorldStrides Connections app. A Veritas option is also available, combining your language studies with a 1-credit online Global Ministry Practicum (HUM 490) that creates a guided space to reflect on faith, identity, and service in a global context. To be eligible, you must be at least 18 years old at the time of participation and have a minimum 2.5 GPA.